“Back in the mid-’90s, my research focused on desktop operating
systems. There was a plethora of options for IT organizations, with
Mac OS, Windows in the guise of NT and 95, and OS/2 Warp all vying
for the attention of IT managers. Even Unix workstation vendors had
thoughts of moving beyond scientific and engineering applications
to mainstream knowledge worker desktops.“But by the late ’90s, it felt as if I was doing the color
commentary for a horse race whose leader was out in front by 10
furlongs. Still, while it was clear to many that Microsoft was
going to dominate the desktop, that didn’t stop some in IT from
looking for alternatives…”